Rockford Sun

House Republicans in Illinois are calling for much-needed ethics reforms as the list of corruption convictions involving Democrats continues to grow. The silence from the Democratic side is concerning as federal prosecutors in Chicago have secured multiple convictions in 2023 alone.

Among the convictions is the bribery scandal involving former House Speaker Mike Madigan and Commonwealth Edison employees. Four former employees were convicted of conspiring to bribe Madigan to pass ComEd's legislative agenda. Former Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes was also convicted of lying to a grand jury to obstruct the bribery investigation.

Chicago businessman James T. Weiss was convicted of bribing two Democratic state lawmakers, wire and mail fraud, and lying to the FBI. Additionally, former Chicago Democratic Alderman Edward Burke was convicted of racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion after a five-year corruption trial.

Madigan himself, the longest-serving state House speaker in modern U.S. history, was indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges in 2022. His trial, initially scheduled for April 2024, has been postponed to October 2024.

Illinois House Republicans have been vocal about the need for ethics reform. Representative Patrick Windhorst stated, "House Democrats have expressed no willingness so far to change the culture of corruption in Illinois." The state has been ranked as the second-most corrupt in the nation due to the high number of ethics complaints.

Representative Ryan Spain is taking action to combat corruption by sponsoring legislation to give the Inspector General's Office subpoena power and to ban indicted officeholders from receiving pension benefits. He also aims to prohibit the use of campaign funds for criminal defense.

House Republicans have filed several ethics proposals, including House Bill 4119, which prohibits the use of campaign donations for criminal defense. House Bill 1277 suspends benefit or annuity payments to members charged with a felony. House Bill 4286 implements a three-year revolving door ban on lobbying, and House Bill 4288 requires timely reports from the Executive and Legislative Ethics Commissions. House Bill 4289 expands the definition of "officials" and "lobbying" in the Lobbyist Registration Act.

Representative Tony McCombie emphasized the need for reform, stating that Illinois has weak ethics laws and Democrats' complacency with the status quo is detrimental to Illinois families.

House Republicans are committed to addressing corruption and pushing for stronger ethics reforms in Illinois.